Young Justice: The Boy of Steel
by Doctor13X
Summary: Set between the Gap between seasons 1 and 2. Conner has moved to Metropolis to be with his father. But an incident during his father's absence forces him to make his debut as Superboy. Questions rise mostly from Lois and Clark is having trouble with answering them. But the most confusing question is where Conner is always vanishing to. And then... there's the breakup.
1. Prologue: A glimpse

Fortress of Solitude, The Hub

December 31st, 2014, 23:50:00

Conner Kent sat at the access terminal, his head in his hands, and his face damp with tears. Only twelve hours ago he had only been having a terrible day, but now, he was having the WORST day of his life. She had gone into his mind, and tried to change it, modify it, just like Cadmus had. Conner knew her intentions were different, not pure, but different from Cadmus'. But it didn't change the fact that she had gone into his mind and tried to change it. She dared to use her powers to enter the one place he found sacred, the one place he was truly alone. Conner Kent had been broken, Conner Kent was broken. Mind, body, and soul.

"Access code 0-0-0 recognized, Voice print confirmed." The Fortress Computer announced in time with the sound of the teleporter ray "Welcome Master Batman, to the Fortress of Solitude"

Conner sighed, wiped the tears from his face, and turned around in his chair. Slowly, he began to open his eyes. At first he couldn't see anything, due to his eyes being shut and filled with tears,but then his vision began to clear. When his world changed from a violent blur to a moderate one, he could vaguely make out a black figure approaching him.

"Look Batman, I appreciate you trying to help but I really just need to be-" he stopped as his vision cleared completely "-alone?"

Conner knew he had been thrown into the deepest depths of despair, but he was fairly certain that the blonde girl standing before him... wasn't The Dark Knight.

"Um... Hi Conner" She said waving nervously

"Cassie?" The Boy of Steel exclaimed shocked

"Yeah... its me." She said blushing

"Wow. You look uh... amazing." he said, at a loss for words

She giggled "Thanks. I ditched the wig and goggles and well... changed my outfit."

"Yeah, I didn't recognize you." Conner said

"Do I look that different?" she asked, nervously fidgeting with her hair

"Yeah." he told her "Like I said I didn't recognize you."

It was like that for awhile. The two of them were just staring at each other, red slowly creeping onto the others face, recognizable even amidst the glow of the red Rao lamps. Conner was about to say something, but then he realized something important "You're not Batman" he noted

A different shade of color appeared on Cassie's face, or rather all colored drained from it, giving her the look of a child who had wet the bed. She nervously smiled and chuckled, trying to act calm. Conner could hear her heart rate speed up and knew she was afraid to tell him. To combat this he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, giving her a look his father dubbed "The Gaze" which worked on other members of Young Justice as effectively as the Bat-Glare worked on the Justice League.

Giving up her attempts to stay silent, Cassie sighed "Nightwing hacked into the Bat-Cave and temporarily re-wrote the sensor readings so that Fortress' computer would think that I was Batman." she admitted

Conner continued giving her The Gaze, then he chuckled "Good old Nightwing, hasn't lost his touch."

"So... you're not mad at me?" She asked, twirling a lock of her blonde hair around her finger

Conner paused for a moment, thinking about her question, he shook his head "No, I'm not. I guess... of all the people who could've hacked into the Fortress' systems, I'm glad it was you." he said smiling

She smiled, then her smile faded "Conner... I heard about what happened with M'gann."

Conner's face darkened and he stood up "Who... who told you?"

"...Batman" She squeaked

"How did he-" Conner started

But before Conner could finish his sentence, Cassie threw herself against him, causing the super powered Kryptonian to freeze. Conner could hear the pounding of his heart in his chest, but he could also hear her heart. Both hearts beat erratically, at rates that were unusual for both their species. Every nerve in his body tingled as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Cass what's going-" he started

Cassie placed a finger over his mouth and looked him in the eyes "I know now isn't the best time for you for you to hear this, but I was always going to tell you today... so I will." she breathed in deeply "Conner Kent... I love you"

With her confession complete, Cassandra gently pulled the stunned Kryptonian in, and gently placed her lips against his. At first, the boy of steel didn't know what to do, but then, he made his decision, his past was a world away, it was time for him to move forward. He wrapped his arms around her small, fragile, delicate body, and returned the kiss. After a moment, the pair separated.

"Does this mean you... feel the same way?" Cassie asked

"...I don't know. But I'm willing to find out." He told her

Cassandra's face broke out into a smile as she rested her head against his chest "Happy New Year Conner" she whispered

The Clock that had been counting down behind Conner hit zero and the Red Lamps began to glow white

Conner chuckled "Happy New Year Cassie."

The young warrior smiled and looked up at the Boy of Steel "It will be" and again, brought her lips to his.

* * *

Metropolis

September 7th, 2012, 15:12:00

3 years ago

"Oy kid." Lois Lane said, snapping in the face of the dazed Conner Kent "You ok?"

"Um yeah." Conner lied "Just kinda started to drift into space."

"You were smiling." Lois said grinning "What were you thinking about?"

After a long pause Conner looked her in the eye and said "The Future"


	2. Chapter 1: The Day Things Changed

The Watch Tower, Medical bay

September 7th, 2012, 16:13:00

"And you're positive about what you saw?" Martian Manhunter asked Conner, placing his fingers on the Boy of Steel's temples, and beginning to probe his subconscious

"Positive" The Boy of Tomorrow said, allowing the martian to probe his mind "And I knew what was happening as it happened, but only bits and pieces of information stayed with me after the vision ended."

Conner looked to his father, without moving his head "Is this normal?" he asked

Clark shook his head "No, never happened to me at your age."

"From what I can tell he's in better health than you are." Black Canary said to the Man of Steel

"Maybe that's because I don't sneak down to the kitchen in the middle of the night for pie." Conner said smirking

"How did you- right, super hearing." Superman said placing his hand over his face to hide his shame.

"Well his mind is in perfect health. The vision you experienced is a premonition, an event yet to occur. Not common, even among psychic races." J'onn told Conner and the four present members of The Justice League

"Tell us more about this girl." Batman inquired, his eyes narrowing

"You're not curious about the room with red lamps?" Superman asked surprised

"No." Batman said glaring

Conner smiled nervously, he knew exactly where the vision had taken place. However, the location, and even the name, of where the vision had occurred was a closely guarded secret between him, and The Dark Knight. Which is no doubt why said knight wished to know who she was and, more importantly, how she got there. However this part of the vision puzzled Conner too, he had never seen this girl before, yet felt like he had known her for a very long time.

"Her name is Cassandra, better known as Cassie." Conner finally said "I don't know anything else about her, other than the fact that we're apparently friends, and that she's a member of The Team."

Conner decided not to reveal the information about this mysterious organization called "Young Justice" that he would one day join.

"More than just friends from what I can tell." Martian Manhunter informed him

"What do you mean?" Conner asked confused

"Your emotions upon discovering her identity almost completely changed. You became consumed by happiness, and during the kiss entered a state of complete bliss." he replied

"Sounds to me like Conner has a crush." Black Canary said smirking

"Lois' description of Conner in the elevator would prove that." Clark said smiling

"But I've never met this girl!" The Teen of Steel almost shouted

"But you will, and when you do meet her a chain of events will begin to unfold that will end with the termination of your relationship with Miss Martian." Batman inferred

"As much as I hate to admit it Conner, Batman is right." Superman said "You and M'gann have only been going out for a year, you have no idea what'll happen between now, and the break up."

"Or when it'll happen." Black Canary said "It could be next year or five years from now."

Conner stared at the floor, not wanting to tell them that he knew when it would happen. The Boy of Steel was carrying the time and date of his break up. It felt like a colossal weight on his shoulders, like he knew when and where the world would end. He sighed.

"This information stays between the five of us. We will not disperse it throughout the League or The Team." Batman said "J'onn, you'd better put up a barrier around that memory, we can't let your niece find out about the vision."

"Agreed." J'onn said, again placing his hands on Conner's temples and beginning telepathic contact

"_Are you upset?"_ Conner telepathically asked the uncle of his girlfriend

"_No." _J'onn told him

"_Why? I break your niece's heart." _Conner asked, confused

"_Conner, from what I saw, she breaks yours, and while I hope I am wrong, she also enters your mind without permission. When and if these events come to pass, you can come talk to me. I have experience with this area, martian females can be... very cruel" _ The Manhunter said, mentally smiling to give the Boy of Steel strength

"There" J'onn said removing his hands "The procedure is complete. The memory is completely shielded from telepathy."

"Thank you." Conner said

"Your welcome." J'onn said smiling

"So now what?" Superman asked, looking at Batman

"Now, he returns to Metropolis." Batman said turning around and activating the Zeta tube

Conner nodded and rushed over to the tube, he turned around and looked at his father "Coming dad?" He asked, gesturing for him to follow

Clark shook his head "Sorry Conner, I've got monitor duty tonight."

"And tomorrow" Batman reminded him

"Yes, and tomorrow." The Man of Steel said with a depressed sigh

Conner nodded solemnly. He barely gets to spend time with his father, when he's not reporting as Clark Kent he's saving the world as The Man of Steel. While true it was better than a year ago, when he and Conner had a "less than positive" relationship, but it has morphed into "busy single father" and "Abandoned son". Clark knew this and was truly sorry, but he couldn't bring his son into the super hero spot light until he had found a way to tell Lois. While true she accepted Conner Kent with ease, how would she react to Superboy? It was too big of a risk to take. He wanted to have Conner on case with him, his own "Robin" so to speak.

Clark sighed "I'll make it up to you Conner, I promise." he said flying off, Martian Manhunter and Canary close behind

"Ok Dad." Conner muttered, turning around

Batman placed a hand on his shoulder "Why don't you head down to the fortress, your father won't be back till late tomorrow morning. Get some training in private, clear your thoughts. Then go home and rest"

"Ok." Conner agreed

"You remember the codes I programmed?" Batman asked

Conner nodded and deactivated the Zeta tube. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small radio piece and he placed it in his ear, waiting for it to activate. When he heard the distinct beeping sound he placed his fingers on the receiver button.

"Access master controls, access code 0-0-1." Conner said into the earpiece

"Access code confirmed, voice print confirmed." a computer voice said in his ear, recognizing his codes

"Activate teleporter array and engage beamout from current position to location 0-0-0. Activation Key phrase: Red Sun" Conner spoke

"Key phrase confirmed. Engaging beam out to location 0-0-0." the computer said

Conner began to glow crimson and looked up at Batman, who nodded. The glow intensified and soon Conner was unable to see anything except crimson light. Then the lights began to fade. When he could see again, he found himself on top of a circular pad, in a structure made completely out of metal panels, and had red lamps, just like he had seen in his vision, mounted along the walls of the circular room he was in, and continued onwards into a tunnel like hallway.

Conner briefly inhaled for a moment, then exhaled "Computer, raise solar recharge panels."

After a moment, the computer replied "Yes master Conner" the lamps slowly dimmed, and when they let the room become shrouded in complete blackness, a loud rumbling sound was heard all over, as the metal panels began to retract, allowing sunlight to flood into the room.

"And welcome back, to your Fortress of Solitude." the computer said

* * *

Metropolis city, Kent apartment

September 8th, 2012 7:00

Conner Kent laid sprawled out on his bed, his blanket on the floor, his head at the foot of the bed, and a fine layer of drool dripping out onto the mattress. If Clark had entered the room at that moment he would realize that the human teenager's love of sleep was genetic, seeing as he never slept like this. Conner probably would've slept like that all day if the voice mail hadn't gone off in the next room, his super hearing allowing him to hear it.

"Hello, you have reached the home of Clark-" his father's voice began

"and Conner!" his own voice interrupted

"Wha?" Conner said waking up, one eye still closed

"-Kent." Clark continued "We're not home right now so leave us a message and we'll get back to you ASAP"

"And if this is Lois, stop calling Dad and just ask him out!" Conner's recording shouted

"Conner!" his dad yelled followed by the beep

"Hi Conner, this is Kyle. I just wanted to remind you not to be late for school... again." the voice of Conner's friend, Kyle Rayner, spoke through the phone

After Conner registered exactly what it was Kyle had said his eyes, both of them, widened with shock "Shoot" he said

Conner jumped out of bed and, using his super speed, put on his Superboy shirt, inside out, his jeans, blue jacket, and glasses. He rushed into the bathroom, brushed his teeth, rinsed, and ran out the door. Three seconds later he ran back in.

"Backpack" Conner said face palming, he rushed in grabbed his backpack and rushed out

* * *

Metropolis City, Metropolis Public High School

September 8th, 2012, 7:01

Kyle hung up and looked at his watch, slightly nervous. Conner was normally late, but never nine minutes away from tardy late. Kyle turned around about to look for him when he felt someone tap his shoulder.

"Hey man, sorry I'm late." Conner said, holding back his urge to pant, having only recently learned to use his super speed it was difficult for him to run long distances at top speed without getting tired.

"Dude, I just wasted minutes phoning you" Kyle said punching Conner's shoulder jokingly

"Sorry" Conner said

"Meh its fine." Kyle said shrugging "So how's Megan?"

"She's fine." Conner told him, smiling "She and the bumble bees are getting ready for the homecoming game."

"That mean she won't be able to come to the homecoming dance?" Kyle asked

Conner shook his head "Nope" he told him

"Sorry man." Kyle said patting him on the back

Conner had met sixteen year-old Kyle Rayner during his sophomore year, after he had moved to Metropolis. The two bonded and had become fast friends after Conner defended him from some bullies. Kyle wasn't... very athletic so he tended to get picked on by the jocks. Conner liked Kyle because unlike a lot of metropolis kids he didn't idolize Superman or anyone else in the Justice League, while true he liked them, he didn't really care. Whereas Kyle liked Conner cause he listened to Kyle rant and understood, also because Conner would pose for Kyle's sketches.

"I would've loved to draw the two of you dancing." Kyle said

Conner smirked "And so the truth comes out."

Kyle shoves Conner jokingly "Hey, we can't all have a beautiful girlfriend." he said

Conner smiled, that was another reason he like Kyle, he was the opposite of Wally "Guess I'm just lucky."

The two walked to first period together. Happily joking and teasing each other like normal students, while unaware that today was more than just the second day of the 2012-2013 school year. This was the day the city of Metropolis would be shaken to its core. It was the day that everything changes, and the day that would begin the revolution.

* * *

Watchtower, Meeting chamber

September 8th 2012, 15:00

Batman sat in his chair quietly, tapping his fingers together, staring down the other members of the league, finally, he stood up, and cleared his throat, getting ready for one of his most important speeches.

"Thank you all for coming." Batman said "I know you're wondering why I've called you here."

"Yeah why are we here?" Captain Marvel asked

"Following the... debut, of several new vigilante heroes. I have decided to have an early membership evaluation." Batman informed him and the rest of the league

The rest of the league looked around in shock. While they were aware of new heroes popping up in the world but they thought Batman would wait for evaluation. However, after a brief moment, the League nodded unanimously. Batman nodded in respect for their agreement and tapped a few keys on his computer.

"First up for evaluation for membership to the team." Batman said "The New Robin, and Batgirl." as Holograms appeared in the center of the room

"Don't you have say over that?" Hal Jordan asked "They are your protégés."

"What happened to the old Robin?" Captain Marvel asked

"He's gone solo, although he maintains contact to his friends on the Team, he's refused contact with anyone else." Red Arrow informed the League

"Why'd he leave?" Diana asked

"We had a... disagreement." Batman admitted regretfully

The league nodded, knowing that in Batman language disagreement was equivalent to fight.

"Where'd you find the new Robin?" Green Arrow asked

"Let me guess, he's your nephew." Red Arrow asked, glancing at Green Arrow, with his eyes narrowed

"No, I caught him taking wheels off the Batmobile." Batman said

The League, Red Arrow included, broke into laughter, the Robin shown looked about 16, two years younger than his first protégé, and with no training or understanding of the Batmobile, had managed to almost successfully rob The Batman.

Batman cleared his throat "I figured it was either take him in, or let him be roped in by the drug dealers and Black Mask."

"Fair enough." Red Arrow said, satisfied with that excuse

"Well seeing as Batgirl and Robin would be trained by The Batman, they would make excellent additions to The Team. Maybe even enough to make up for the 1st Robins... absence." Green Arrow said

"Agreed" The League said in unison

"I'll register them later." Batman said, internally grinning "Let's move on shall we?"

"Agreed." Superman said

"The next candidate is for League membership." Batman said, almost hesitating as he punched in buttons on his computer "I would like to nominate Superboy for membership to the Justice League." as a Hologram of the Teen of Steel appeared

The room went silent, everyone either in shock or wonder. Superman just sat there, his jaw unhinged, astounded at how Batman could do this to him. The one who finally broke the silence was not the one expected

"I think its a good idea."

* * *

Metropolis City

September 8th 2012, 15:10

"You sure your Dad won't mind us going to see The Avengers?" Kyle asked Conner as they walked towards the movie theater

"He's got a press conference" Conner said smiling "Besides, I don't think he minds so much. He's a huge fan of Captain America."

"Really? I didn't know that." Kyle said

"Its the shield." Conner told him "He loves the shield."

"Who doesn't?" Kyle asked causing the two teens to chuckle

"Hey I gotta go the bathroom." Conner said pointing to the bathroom "Save me a spot in line for the tickets?"

"I'm buying." Kyle said holding up a wad of five dollar bills

Conner smiled and ran to the bathroom

* * *

"What do you mean its a good idea?" Superman practically screamed at Black Canary

"Conner is one of the best fighters on The Team." Canary told him "He's also the one that held you back one year ago after a Starro-tech infection."

"He's also loyal." Batman said, his eyes narrowing "He proved that when Lex Luthor came up to him with an offer to make him 100% Kryptonian for becoming a double agent. He didn't do it."

"Conner has proven his worth time and time again." J'onn said

"But letting him join the league will mean he'll start making public appearances. He's not ready for that." Clark argued standing up and gesturing to the blue planet seen through the window "He's not ready to let the world know about him."

Batman's eyes narrowed and he stood up "You mean, your not ready" Batman said pausing "And your not ready to let your world to know about him."

Superman took a step back, he had forgotten who he was dealing with.

"One day you won't be there to defend people, should we wait until then?" Batman asked

Conner had begun washing his hands when he heard the sound. Slowly, cautiously, he peaked his head outside of the Bathroom and saw it, a group of men, at least a dozen of them or more, armed with guns. More were walking out of every store on the block, with bags of money. Their guns were pointed at people, Kyle included, lying face down on the floor. The worst part was, Conner recognized them, they were toy soldiers, led by the Toyman.

"I'm not going to wait until I die Batman." Superman yelled

"Who said anything about death?" Batman asked

* * *

Conner hid in the stall and started panicking. Superman wasn't here, people could get hurt, Kyle could get hurt, and no one would do anything. He looked out the door of the open stall and saw a hint of red showing from the underside of his inside out Superboy shirt. He stood up and took off his glasses, jacket, and shirt, turning the shirt inside out.

"What happens if you can't get there, what if you're fighting someone else, or catching a plane like you do every other week?" Batman asked

"Couldn't one of you handle it?" Superman asked

Batman's eyes narrowed again and spoke five words "What if we're not there?"

Conner stared at his reflection, he was here, he could do something, he could make a difference. But then his father's words rang out in his head.

"_I'm sorry Conner, I just don't know how to explain you to the world yet."_ his father had said

Conner reached across the mirror, as if reaching for the S-shield reflection, he looked straight into the eyes of his reflection and said "Sorry Dad, but you're not here, I have to do something" and walked out of the bathroom.

* * *

"That's a little unlikely isn't it!" Superman yelled

"Is it?" Batman asked turning on the TV

* * *

"Nobody move or I order them to shoot." Toyman said

"Let's not do that." A voice said

The toyman turned and saw Conner, as Superboy, walking towards him.

"Get down kid" Toyman ordered

"Sure, as soon as you put the money away and leave these people alone." Conner said

Suddenly, a news helicopter flew over the area, camera's pointed at the Toyman and Conner.

"I know Superman isn't here." The Toyman yelled to the camera as ten soldiers pointed guns at Conner "And now he's going to pay the price, for his absence."

The Soldiers all took aim at Conner "Shoulda just laid low kid" The Toyman said "FIRE!"

Conner smirked as the ten soldiers let loose a volley of bullets at him. He closed his eyes and breathed, as each and every bullet bounced off him, landing all around him with a loud clanking sound. Conner opened his eyes after the soldiers ran out of ammo.

"I'm waiting." Conner said

"Wha-what?" The toyman screamed

Conner looked around him and pretended to be surprised "Oh, you did shoot." He looked up at the Toyman and grinned "My turn now"

"Who are you kid?" Toyman asked

Conner smirked "Just a kid trying to be like his father." and ran forward

All toy soldiers instantly began to open fire at him, their bullets harmlessly bouncing off of him. He smashed a group of soldiers pointing guns at Kyle and a group of teenagers. Kyle looked up at him in shock.

"Get out of here." Conner said turning around and using his super speed to grab incoming bullets

"Thanks." Kyle said

"Don't mention it." Conner said

Conner turned to make sure that Kyle and the kids had gotten away before turning around to resume his fight. He cracked his knuckles and attacked another soldier, destroying it in one blow. He smiled, he was having a good time, much better than on stealth missions. He proceeded to destroy all of the toy soldiers, then Conner turned his attention to Toyman. He smirked at Toyman, then took off running.

"No, you can't be" Toyman screamed as Conner sent him flying into a wall with a single punch

"Deal with it" Conner said as Toyman collided with the brick wall

The remaining hostages slowly began to get up, staring at the Boy of Steel in wonder. Then, one started clapping, slowly followed by another, then another, soon everyone was clapping. Conner just looked around, awestruck, as everyone started clapping.

"_Is this what it feels like?" _ Conner thought "_Is this how you feel everyday Dad?"_

The helicopter landed and a reporter, followed by a camera man hopped out and ran right up to Conner.

"Who are you?" The reporter asked "Are you Superman's brother?"

"No." Conner said laughing

* * *

"Then who are you?" The reporter asked

"I'm Superboy, his son." Conner said

Batman shut off the TV and looked at Superman, who was dumbfounded. It was then that Batman did the most uncharacteristic thing in his life, he smiled and said "I told you so."

"How did you-" Superman started

"I got the alert from Batgirl, she was in the Batcave." Batman said

"After... the events we have just witnessed. I see no reason to deny Conner candidacy for League Membership." Canary said

"But-" Superman started

"All in favor of allowing Superboy to become an official member of the Justice League, raise your hands." Red Arrow said standing up and raising his hand

Batman, along with everyone in the league, stood up, and raised their right hand. Superman looked around the room, and with his head down, raised his as well. Batman smiled "Its unanimous then. Superman, I'll let you tell him."

Superman sighed and nodded but smiled on the inside "_Ya did good kid"_

"I would like to nominate someone for Team Membership." Diana said

Batman nodded and gestured for Diana to pull up the member in question. She punched a few buttons and a hologram of a girl with black hair, a jacket, and goggles appeared.

"This is Cassandra 'Cassie' Sandsmark. The new Wonder Girl after my former protégé left to go solo. I would like to submit her application for Team membership." Diana said

Batman, Black Canary, Martian Manhunter, and Superman all glanced at each other, eyes wide.

"_There's no doubt about it now" _J'onn said telepathically to the aforementioned members "_Conner's premonition will come to pass."_

"_Unless we deny her membership."_ Superman said

"_No, we must let events play out, we have no other reason to deny Cassandra membership, so we must listen and judge her fairly."_ Batman thought

"_Agreed."_ Black Canary said "_The events Conner saw are years away, we must be kind._"

Batman nodded at Diana "Tell us what qualifies her?"

Superman sighed "_Two defeats in one day? I believe Conner would say 'epic fail Dad.'"_

* * *

Mount Justice

September 8th 2012, 21:00

"Dude!" Wally shouted "You-were-awesome!"

"Stop it Wally!" Artemis said grabbing his ear "Give him some space"

Conner was about to say something when his phone began ringing. He rolled his eyes and answered "Hello?"

"OH THANK GOD!" Kyle screamed into Conner's supersensitive ears

"Kyle!" Conner said "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, Superboy came in and took care of the soldiers so me and some other kids could get away. I didn't know what happened to you though." Kyle said

"Who's Kyle?" Artemis asked

"Shh, Secret I.D. business, so none of ours." Wally said

"I came out later, I'm so sorry." Conner said

"Its ok." Kyle said "Just do me a favor, don't scare me like that again, you're one of my only friend."

"Don't worry about it Kyle." Conner said

"Ok, now I gotta go, maybe I'll see you tomorrow?" Kyle asked

"I'll talk to my Dad." Conner said

"Ok, bye Conner." Kyle said hanging up

Conner sighed and stood up, he could feel his muscles ache from all the times he used his Super speed today "Hey guys, look I'm sorry, I know we'll probably have a mission today, but I need to get some rest."

He walked over to the Zeta tubes, his heels clicking against the stone floor as he slowly walked to the tube. But before he could make it he felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned around and saw M'gann standing there, she moved forward and gave him a kiss. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, returning the kiss.

"Um..." Wally started

"Shut up Wally" Artemis said

Conner's mind was reeling. Should he tell her? Tell her about his vision where he kisses another girl. No, how could he. How could he tell her, his angel. He surrendered to the notion that this love was not meant to last but should enjoy it while it does. So he kissed back, feeling the warmth of her body huddled against his. Slowly they separated.

"I'm proud of you" she whispered sweetly

Conner smiled "Why?"

"You've started being your own hero, making your own name for yourself, and you did it on your own." She whispered

He smiled "Yeah, I guess I did."

She giggled "See you later, get some rest, steel is tough but you can still break it."

He released her and kissed her forehead "I will"

Conner smiled and walked into the Zeta tube, a little more strength and pride in his step.

"Recognized: Superboy B04." The computer said as he teleported back to Metropolis

* * *

Metropolis city, Kent residence

September 9th 2012, 6:00 (Saturday)

Conner was sleeping peacefully, blissfully dreaming about him and M'gann. Unaware that life as he knew it was about to change. Nor that he was soon to be called to duty in only a few short minutes.

Half way across the city, a meteor had just entered the Earth's atmosphere, and crashed into Metropolis harbor. The sound of the meteor hitting the water, combined with the _lack_ of sound he heard from his fathers room, respectfully awoke and infuriated an exhausted Conner Kent.

"FOR THE LOVE OF RAO!" Conner mentally screamed, jumping out of bed and beginning to get changed "WHERE ARE YOU DAD?"

But Conner would soon meet someone almost as important as his father. For the meteor that had crashed was actually a stasis pod with an sleeping inhabitant. A blonde haired girl crawled out of the half submerged pod, gasping for air. She shivered, the icy chill of the bay water freezing her down into her bones. She opened her blue eyes and they widened, fear visible as her eyes began to nervously dart from left to right. Finally, after registering what had occurred, she spoke.

"dek na urben_?"_ she said "dem ta Krypton_."  
_"_Where am I? This isn't krypton"_


	3. Chapter 2: Family Business

Metropolis City, Metropolis Harbor

September 9th 2012, 6:03

Conner Kent arrived at Metropolis Harbor minutes after he heard the crash. He scanned the area, his eyes desperately searching for the source of the sound. He was irritated, not only was he exhausted from using his untrained super speed yesterday, but he was also irked, today was Saturday, he should be sleeping in bed until noon, not doing his father's work for him. On top of that, The Boy of Steel had again been forced to use his super speed, causing his muscles to ache. He was starting to wonder if this was the universe trying to make him mad.

After about four minutes of searching and unable to find anything, Conner closed his eyes, breathed in deeply and activated his infrared vision. He scanned the sky for a heat trail and found it, he saw the path the meteor took when it flew into the harbor bay, he also saw that after it landed in the bay, an area of warmth flowed from the area it entered the bay, to the harbor docks.

"_Someone was in that." _Conner realized, his eyes widening at the realization

He dashed off, following the heat trail. After about ten seconds he found the heat source. It was a girl, she was dripping wet and shivering, and Conner didn't need to be Martian Manhunter to know she was scared witless. She was wearing some sort of wetsuit, pure white except for a vertical teal stripe going down her sides, and had blonde hair. He cautiously approached the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Listen, I don't know what happened, but I'm here to help you." he said

The girl showed no signs that she had understood the Boy of Steel. She only continued to tremble with fear, or it could've been the cold, she was soaking wet, and the bay water was freezing. Even Conner could tell, true he could survive severe cold, but he could still feel it. He walked infront of her.

"Can you understand me?" the Boy of Steel asked

The girl slowly looked up, opened her eyes, and blasted him with heat vision. The Boy of Tomorrow groaned as he was sent flying into the wall of one of the nearby warehouses, feeling a great deal of pain.

"_sak na sunkera de!" _she screamed, covering her eyes with her hands, causing them to emit a red glow

"Obviously not." Conner sighed as he got up, he tapped his ear piece "This is Superboy calling Superman."

"This is Superman, what's wrong Conner?" His father asked

Before he can answer his father, the girl looks at him, heat vision engaged, and blasts him into another wall. He screams in pain as she continues to blast him with heat vision. She screams in a language he can't understand, fear in her voice. Conner then realized, she couldn't control her powers.

"Conner? Conner are you ok?" His father yelled

"_Sen de! Sen de!" _The girl yelled

"Stand by, we're going to have a new inhabitant for the medical bay." Conner said

"Standing by" his father confirmed

Conner nodded and deactivated the earpiece. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, trying to center himself, despite being blasted by heat vision. He knew that he must focus, just yesterday he made his debut, he would not allow himself to be bested by a scared alien girl, only one day later. He allowed himself to become calm and focused. He opened his eyes and started to charge. He placed his arms out infront of him, blocking her heat vision, and when he got close enough to her. He shoved his hand over her eyes, he regretted this decision, as his left hand received the full blast of her heat vision. He screamed in agony as his hand was seared with the intense heat, but he did his best to shrug it off. Struggling with all his might, he brought his arms around the alien girl, and hugged her.

The heat rays shot off into the distance, hitting a Lex corp building, but slowly began to die. Finally, the girl stopped firing her heat rays, and instead of burning heat blasts, tears flowed out of her eyes. The Boy of Steel backed away from the girl and held out his hand (the one not burned). He believed that she understood he was a friend now, and was going to help her.

The girl slowly reached her hand up. Conner smiled, she understood. But then she did something that puzzled him. She placed her hand on the ripped shreds of his shirt, that she damaged during her heat blasts, and lifted them upwards, revealing the S-shield. Her eyes widened with joy as her eyes fell on the shield.

"_ken ro El." _she almost whispered

"What?" Conner asked

Then her face burst into happiness "Kal" She cried, wrapping her arms around him, nuzzling her face into his neck

"This is Superboy, beam me, and my plus one to the medical bay." he said, his face red

* * *

Fortress of Solitude, The Hub

September 9th 2012, 9:00

Conner walked to the center of a large circular room he had deemed "The Hub", which was the central computer and control room of the entire fortress, and sat down at the access terminal. In his fortress there were six rooms connected to The Hub. The most used room was the teleporter access chamber, which enabled him and anyone else registered in the access database to transport to the fortress from anywhere on the planet... and possibly the moon. Right now only one person was registered in the access database, him. Second, was the living quarters, designated for Conner and potentially three other people, for overnight stays in the fortress. Then there was the science lab, which had a computer system that had the same level of processing ability as his father's fortress. Fourth there was the external access chamber which quite simply enabled him to leave the fortress and explore the outside environment, but it was the least used of all the chambers. Fifth was the forge, quite simply this chamber was capable of smelting and ironworking, in this room Conner could use the designs he managed to put together in the science labs to construct weapons and...other things. Finally there was the training room... it's pretty self explanatory what he does it this one.

Conner had noticed strands of blonde hair on his shirt after his encounter with the alien girl. So after he took her to the watch tower for the league to look after, he had placed them in the DNA analyzer of the science labs in order to identify which species she was from. However the science lab computer told him that it would take approximately three hours to identify the girl's complex DNA structure. So, seeing as how he would be unable to access the Science Lab's computer for several hours, he went to the training room to train. Training in the fortress was especially helpful, under the influences of earth's yellow sun Conner was the pinnacle of health, he could tell by the way M'gann blushed when he was shirtless, however upon exposure to red sun radiation, his body became that of a typical human. So he preset all the lamps in the fortress to give off red sun radiation while the solar recharge panels were down. He named them Rao lamps, in honor of Krypton. With this system he could hone his body as if he was on his home planet. It was perfect for training, he could really feel himself improving, unlike normal, it also stopped him from breaking anything.

"Computer, what's the status of DNA analysis in the science labs?" Conner asked

"Thirty thousand nine hundred and sixty-four species have been compared to the specimen based on the parameters you set master Conner." The computer said

"And?" Conner asked

"No match." the computer told him

Conner slammed his fist into the access terminals main control panel "DANG IT!" He yelled "Who is she? Where is she from? How'd she get here?"

"Master Conner, under the circumstances it will take time to identify the species of the alien." the computer said

Conner sighed and removed his shirt "Computer prepare the forge, I need to do some work."

"Shall I raise the solar recharge panels?" The computer asked

"May as well, I don't want to die in the incredible heat that thing makes." Conner said

"Was that a joke master?" The computer asked as the red lights dimmed and the chamber began to shake as the solar recharge panels rose, allowing light to flood in

"Yes, yes it was." Conner said, smirking as he made his way to The Forge

* * *

Metropolis City, Kent Residence

September 10th, 2012, 0:00

Conner used the teleporter array to return to his house from his Fortress, however he did so reluctantly. He sighed as he took off his shirt and got into bed. After almost a whole day the computer hadn't been able to identify the species of the alien girl that had mysteriously crashed into the bay. He had spent the entire day training and working in the forge, his body was more exhausted than it had ever been. In the long run it was probably worth it though, all the hard work built character (or so he was told). He sighed as he rolled over in bed, hoping his sleep wouldn't be interrupted as it had yesterday.

Conner was about to fall asleep when something heavy rolled onto him. Slowly he turned his head and his eyes widened with shock, sleeping, in his bed, right besides him, was the alien girl, and to make matters worse, she was naked. Conner did the most obvious thing anyone would do when one discovers a super-powered alien girl sleeping in their bed, he screamed.

"AHHHHH!" Conner screamed leaping out of bed and onto the floor

"AHHHHH!" The girl screamed waking up

"AHHH!" Conner screamed, his eyes wide with shock

Clark burst through the door, his eyes wide and full of panic. He glanced back and forth between Conner and the girl, then placed his hand over his face, attempting to calm himself down. Finally when the screaming had stopped, Clark took his hand off his face and looked directly at Conner.

"Conner? I thought Batman said the team went out on a mission?" He asked

"_Make something up, quickly."_ Conner thought "Um yeah, we were" The Boy of Steel lied glancing at the girl, who remained completely calm "But we got back and um... WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

"Conner Kent, watch your language." His father ordered

"Watch my language? Watch my language? THE ALIEN THAT ALMOST KILLED ME IS SLEEPING IN MY BED? OH, AND SHE'S NAKED!" Conner yelled

"I'm so, so sorry about that." The girl said wrapping the bed sheet around her body and moving to look at Conner's left hand "Are you ok?"

"Um yeah fine... great... wait you speak english?" Conner asked

"Martian Manhunter implanted knowledge of the english language into her mind." Clark said, sighing

"Ok, yeah. I'm fine" Conner said snatching his arm back from the girl "Why are you in my room... or more importantly, my bed? And why are you naked?"

"Clark said it was ok." The girl explained

"I didn't think you'd be back till tomorrow so I told her she would either have to wear some of your clothes or sleep in nothing. She chose the latter" Clark explained

"...still don't understand." Conner told them

"Look, Conner, please sleep on the couch tonight, I'll take the two of you out for ice cream tomorrow and explain everything." Clark said crossing his heart

Conner sighed and nodded, traveling to the couch "Thank you Conner!" The girl yelled

Conner muttered incoherent gibberish as he strode toward the couch "_Who is this girl, why on earth is Dad letting her sleep here?"_

* * *

Metropolis City, Baskin Robins

September 10th 2012, 11:00

"She's my what?" Conner asked shocked, his ice cream dripping off his face

"She's your cousin." Clark said "Her name is Kara Zor-El, my father Jor-El was her father's brother. Her parents, like mine, placed her in a stasis pod during the death of Krypton and fired her into space. It was pure luck that she didn't end up floating in space for an eternity."

"I really sorry about yesterday. I couldn't control the powers I got under the yellow sun, but Clark's taught me how to control them I promise it won't happen again." Kara said smiling

Conner just stared at Kara, trying to process what his father had just told him, but only managed to again say "You're my what?"

Clark sighed "Look Conner, I know this is going to be difficult for you, but bear with us ok."

Conner nodded

"You going to finish that ice cream?" Kara asked

Conner shook his head and handed the ice cream to his cousin

"...say something Conner." Clark nudged

"I'm sorry." Conner said

"For what?" Kara asked "I should be apologizing, I could've burned your hand clean off."

"For the last twenty-four hours I've been referring to you as 'the alien girl'. That's really rude." He said

Kara tried to hold herself back from laughing, but failed, she and Clark started laughing hysterically

"Clark was right, you are funny." Kara said whilst laughing

"Yeah..." Conner said

"_Two days ago I let the world know I'm Superboy, the next day, my long lost cousin crashes into Metropolis harbor." _Conner thought "_Is this supposed to be punishment, or just plain weird."_

Clark glanced at his watch and sighed "Listen, I'm sorry but I have to go to work now" Clark said, gulping down the last of his ice cream "Please show Kara around."

"Yeah, I'll do that." Conner said

"Thanks." Clark said patting his son on the back before dashing off

"Ok... why don't I show you somewhere you haven't seen... so let's not go back to the harbor." Conner said to Kara

Kara laughed again "Why don't you introduce me to M'gann?"

Conner paled "He...um... told you?"

She slowly nodded "Yup."

Conner stood up and grabbed her wrist "Let's go see the park."

After Conner gave Kara a tour of the park he took her all over Metropolis, he showed her the museums, the schools, and the restaurants. Of course, while he was at the park he relished pushing her into the lake. After he had taken her everywhere else in the buzzing metropolis he took her to the one place he would later regret, the shopping mall. He didn't know the unspeakable horror he would face upon walking into that mall. To put it simply, Conner walked into that store empty handed, and walked out carrying a mountain of bags.

"Wow, that was AMAZING!" Kara said clapping her hands together "Are there anymore of those we can go to?"

"NO!" Conner screamed, struggling with the bags

"Let's just go back to the apartment and get rid of these bags." Conner said glancing at the time "We'll be able to catch Dad before he leaves work... hang on a second, if this is your first time going out for earth clothes, where'd you get those?" He asked, pointing to the clothes she was currently wearing

Kara had been wearing a simple pair of blue jeans and an orange t-shirt all day, Conner had meant to ask her about it, but had been anticipating the long awaited explanation.

The kryptonian girl twirled around an smiled "You like? Clark suddenly appeared with them this morning" She said

Conner rolled his eyes "_It pays to be Superman."_

"Yeah its a good look for you." he said politely

"Thanks" She said

The Boy of Steel was about to take his cousin home when his super hearing picked up the sound of police sirens. Conner sighed "_No rest for the valiant." _He handed the bags to Kara.

"Go home, and stay out of trouble." Conner said

Before Kara could ask what was going on, Conner rushed out of the area using his super speed. He placed his glasses in his pocket, and removed his jacket revealing the S-shield and black he finally caught up with the police sirens he discovered they were in pursuit of what appeared to be a robbery.

Conner groaned internally "_What is it with these people"_ he sped up so that he was running parallel with one of the officers "What's the situation?" he asked

"Where's your father?" The officer asked

"Out." The Boy of Steel replied glaringly

"Darn..." The officer replied "Ok here's the situation, that truck contains prototypes for a new line of weapons designed by Lex Corp. We don't know who these people are, but we suspect they've been hired by a Lex Corp competitor."

"Fantastic." Conner said rolling his eyes "_I get to help out Daddy #2. Let's get this over this, I need to get back to Kara."_

Conner's mind paused for a moment, seemingly phasing out from reality.

"_Come now, is she really so important?"_ a voice spoke in his mind

The Boy of Steel shook his head "Right. So they're packing heat. Nothing I can't deal with."

Conner accelerated so he was directly behind the van, then he jumped up ontop of the van and ripped a hole in the roof. He jumped in with grace and skill and looked around at the thieves before smirking.

"_May as well have a little fun._" he thought

"You know, Dad is really annoyed with you people." Conner said as a few of them pointed guns at him

"FIRE!" one shouted letting loose a slew of bullets at the Boy of Steel

"Causing all this trouble, its really cutting into our family time." He said, taking one of their guns and crushing it

"_Like you care about family."_ a voice spoke in his head, distracting him

He shook it off and knocked out a nearby thug "And its really cutting into my well needed sleep."

"D-d-d-d-don't hurt us." The driver said

Conner knocked out the rest of the thieves while they continued to fire bullets at him "Then stop this truck and put your hands in the air."

The driver nodded and slammed the brakes "_Weak" _the voice spoke in his head

Conner ignored it and grabbed the driver by his shirt as the van was forced to a halt. He kicked open the door and walked outside, and was instantly surrounded by reporters.

"Superboy, a word." was the common phrase he heard as police officers arrested the thieves and seized control of the weapon prototypes

Conner wanted to answer some question but there were just too many "One at a time." he ordered

"Are you Superman's son?" Lois asked him

He was unsure of when Lois had arrived but decided to answer her "Yes Ms. Lois. Superman is my father."

"Are you his sidekick?" another asked

"No, I'm his partner." Superboy said, sounding annoyed at the question

He handed the driver over to the police and turned to leave. But as he left he felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned around and had to restrain himself, because standing right in front of him, was Lex Luthor.

"Hi, Lex Luthor, CEO of Lex Corp." He said extending his hand

"Yes, I know who you are." Conner said, not taking up the hand shake

"Your father and I have met on several occasions but he's never mentioned you." Luthor said to the Boy of Steel

"Didn't he? He's mentioned you." Conner said snidely

"I would imagine. I'm a bit curious why you've been on crime patrol the last three days rather than him? Care to comment?" Luthor asked

"Look, Mr. Luthor-" Conner started

"Please, call me Lex." The Corporate CEO insisted

"Ok, **Lex** we all have our private lives, Dad's been busy with his real life lately, you know, without the cape?" Conner asked

"Oh I see, so he's sending a child off to do his work for him while he relaxes, not at all what I'd expect from him." Lex Luthor implied

Conner grabbed his tie and pulled him closer "I volunteered for this line of work Luthor. You have no idea how hard it is to lose your father to his job. Both of them. He spends all his time at this, running around saving people, making sure no one gets hurt. So I will not have you calling him lazy, he's not relaxing, he's working. Because we all know crime fighting doesn't pay, and even if it did he wouldn't accept it. But he has a real job, and all of this is taking time away from that. So even though I'm young, since I can do something...I will." With that the Boy of Steel released Luthors tie, and ran off.

"_Sure, play the family boy, I guess that's why you abandoned me"_ The voice in his head spoke

"_Who is this? What do you mean I 'abandoned' you?" _Conner thought

However when he received no reply he merely shook his head and kept running.

* * *

Metropolis city, Kent Residence

September 10th 2012, 16:00

Conner slowly closed the door behind him as he re-entered the apartment. Almost immediately, he noticed Kara, tapping her toe, with a very annoyed and impatient look on her face. Conner nervously smiled, thinking that she was upset about him abandoning her in the middle of a strange city. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Kara.

"Ya know, when you told me to head back to the apartment and dashed off to save the world, you could've told me how to get in the apartment? I had to risk being seen flying by going in through a window." Kara told him

Conner paled "Oh... sorry." he said

She sighed, rolled her eyes, and stood up. As she walked over to him, Conner was afraid she was about to give him a slap on the face, but to his surprise, she gave him a hug and a pat on the back. "Well I guess its ok. You were just doing your job" she said sitting on the couch, turning on the TV, and patting the seat next to her "Well sit down?" The blonde haired Kryptonian invited

"You're not mad at me for abandoning you?" He asked

She laughed "I was at first, but seeing as you and Clark have responsibilities to the city I overlooked that." She said smiling "Can't be a bad house guest after all, saving lives is more important than keeping me happy."

Conner blinked a few times "You're not just a house guest Kara, you're family."

She stopped for a moment "Yeah... I guess you're right."

"Technically speaking your the only family I have besides Dad. Sure I mean, you suddenly appearing out of nowhere was shocking but you're still family." Conner said

Kara smiled, a far away look in her eyes "The last family I had was my mother, and my father, then I met Uncle Jor-El and Auntie Lara... and then little Kal..." she said

"You called me that when you saw the S-shield" Conner said placing a hand on his chest, right on top of the covered shield "Who is Kal?"

"You're father... I was older than him when Krypton died... so I remember it. But I was also at his first birthday party... he was so cute... and now I'm here, and Kal's all grown up, he has-" she paused and looked at Conner "His own family."

Conner felt bad for his cousin "You miss it don't you, Krypton?" He asked

She closed her eyes and dropped her head "Yes, more than you could possibly know."

"I've wondered what it was like." He admitted to her "To live in that world, where things don't break so easily, to live a normal life... and to see the red sun Rao rise each day, and set each night."

"It was beautiful..." she told him, but then she perked up "But it lives on through us. We're the last generation of Krypton."

Conner smiled and so did Kara, then she wrapped her arm around his neck, pulled him in, and gave him a nuggie "I've always wanted a brother."

Conner chuckled despite the small discomfort "We're cousins."

"I know that." She said laughing

Eventually she let go of the Boy of Steel, and resumed her position on the couch. The two of them would then proceed to do what two teenagers do, watch TV all day long.

* * *

Metropolis City, Kent residence

September 10th, 2012, 23:00

Clark Kent smiled as he walked into the apartment that night. He didn't know what to expect, when he got back, potentially violence or maybe Kara surrounded by members of The Team interrogating her, but was pleasantly surprised to see the two of them alseep on the couch, TV on.

"_They look so peaceful." _He thought, then he noticed the trail of drool on Conner's mouth "_Ok... disgusting but peaceful."_

Quietly, the Man of Steel tiptoed in, and turned off the TV. He debated whether or not he should wake them up, but then he realized he may have to delegate who would get Conner's bed. Making the decision that he did not want to deal with that after dealing with Lois all day, he simply draped a blanket over their sleeping forms.

"_You were right Pa, its tough raising kids." _He thought looking back at Conner and Kara "_But its worth it."_

With that, the Man of Steel retired to his own bed, and fell asleep.

* * *

Conner Kent opened his eyes, then they widened. He was in a dark place, surrounded by a thick mist. He turned left and right in a panic, confused.

"Am I dreaming?" He asked

"_Dream? Or Nightmare?"_ A voice asked

Conner turned to face the source of the voice, he came face to face with a man dressed in a black body suit with a dark red S-shield on it and black cape flowing behind him.

"Who are you?" Conner asked

"_Who am I? Who am I?" _The man asked

The man cackled, a sound so dark and malevolent that even Conner took a step back in fear, but had to stop for he had backed up on to the edge of a cliff.

"_Don't you remember me? I'm the one you left behind, the one you abandoned, the one you left to die."_ he told the Boy of Steel

Conner began to tremble, his heart pounding in his ears and his body frozen in place, the man took a step forward, his face still hidden "_Is that all it takes? A year, a girlfriend, and a brand new life, complete with a father and cousin, and you forget all about me."_

"What do you mean?" Conner asked

The man took a single step forward, the light finally falling on his face "You don't remember me, bro?" he asked

"Match?" Conner asked

Match merely smiled "In, the flesh"

With that Match pushed Conner back over the cliff edge, cackling like a mad man, his demonic voice echoing throughout the night, a dark malicious sound that made the Joker's look like a baby giggling. Then Conner screamed, he screamed as he fell over the cliff, he screamed as he fell over a thousands miles through the blackness, and he screamed as his body plunged into the icy water, that chilled him to the core, and as the world faded, as it went black, he could still hear that laugh, and then... he woke up.

* * *

Metropolis City, Kent Reisdence

September 11th, 2012, 3:30

Conner woke up with a jump, gasping for air, his body thick with sweat and his heart beating fast in his chest. He looked around, confirming that he was in fact in the apartment. He gasped, trying to inhale as much air as he could. When he finally had filled his lungs again he placed his hands over his face, guilt flowing through his veins.

"Match... I'm sorry." He said

Kara woke up and rubbed her eyes "Conner?" She asked "Is something wrong?"

The Boy of Steel did not respond to her question, he just ran his hands through his hair, and continued speaking "I didn't mean to, I-I-I tried to find you while we searched Cadmus, but I couldn't find you... I didn't know. Match, I'm sorry... I didn't know... I didn't know."

"Conner?" Kara said, shaking him "Who is Match?"

Conner looked up at her, and she was shocked to see tears flowing from his eyes "My brother."

"You're brother?" She asked in shock, making sure she heard him right

He nodded

"What.. what happened to him?" She asked Conner, concerned about the trembling boy

Conner paused and looked her in the eyes, tears flowing off his face "I left him behind. I abandoned, he's sick, and he's dying, and I abandoned him... and I don't know how to help him."

At a loss of words Kara simply wrapped her arms around her distraught cousin as he cried. She knew not how to comfort him, so she just held him, as the strong boy that had managed to restrain her only a few days ago, completely broke apart.

* * *

**Author's note: Hey guys, thank you so much for your amazing support, I love the reviews you guys are giving me they really boost my confidence and encourage me to keep writing. I would've gotten this up sooner, but I felt that my first draft was scratchy and had a poor plot, so I scrapped it and started writing it from scratch and I much prefer this result. **

**Also, I'm having a poll on my profile page to decide which character should be introduced/focused on in the next chapter, the choice is up to you but both characters will be featured eventually. The Choices are **

**A) Match**

**B) Kyle Rayner**

**Also, Cassie will not make a major appearance in Conner's life anytime soon, but when she does its going to be big.**


	4. Chapter 3: The Demon of Steel

**Ok guys here it is, by popular vote the new character in this chapter will be Match. I feel really unsure about the ending of this chapter, so please leave comments. Also, for those who voted Kyle, he will make a major appearance in Chapter 4.**

* * *

_He's sick, he's dying, and I abandoned him_

? Unknown location

September 12th, 2012, 6:00

Match stared out the window as the sun rose, his eyes still thick with sleep, and his mind still half awake. He smiled as he saw the sun, the great big yellow star gave him strength, so he closed his eyes and basked in it, leaning against the wall behind him, feeling the star's strength flow into him.

"mmph" The girl beside him mumbled in her sleep

Match smiled and gently caressed her face with his hand. This young girl qualified as his only real friend, no ulterior motives, no secret agenda, and no orders. Of course he supposed he qualified as her only real friend as well, but that was the price of this line of work, no personal life. Stretching, Match got out of the bed and strode over to the window, staring straight past the snow capped mountains and into the glow of the yellow sun.

He turned his head to the left at the sound of a door opening and was surprised to see Lex Luthor walk in, smiling "Mr. Luthor, a pleasure to see you." Match said "I didn't expect to see you today."

Lex raised a hand "Pleasure's all mine. How're you doing Match?"

Match smiled mischievously and returned his gaze to the sun "Better everyday." He told the man

"That's wonderful to hear." He glanced at the girl sleeping on the bed "And how has Lela been treating you?"

Match smiled, a distant look in his eye "She's been kind." Match's face suddenly darkened "Unlike your friends at Cadmus."

"Again I must apologize for that." Lex said

"Apologize all you like." Match said "Its in the past now."

Lex nodded, knowing better than to push the genomorph's patience with the subject "I hope you two haven't been having too much fun."

Match chuckled "Don't worry about that Mr. Luthor. We've kept it clean."

"Excellent. How has your recovery been?" Luthor asked

Match looked and him and smiled "I don't know," He said turning to face Luthor and raising his hands "You tell me" a fierce white glow suddenly appeared in both of his hands

"Astounding." Luthor said as Match powered down the glow

"Indeed." Match said, placing his hands behind his back

"I assume that means you're at full health?" The CEO asked

"You assume correctly. I must thank you again Mr. Luthor, the treatment Lex Corp has given me saved my life." Match said moving to stand by Lela "And you've provided excellent company" he said, running his fingers through her hair

"It was in my best interest to save it." Luthor said "After all the money invested in your birth, we couldn't just let you die now could we?"

Match smiled "Now we reach the topic I've been awaiting to discuss." Match said "You wouldn't come here unless you needed my help with something."

"Match you completely misunderstand-" Lex started

"Oh save it Mr. Luthor." Match said "I'm happy to help."

"Really?" Lex asked, mentally kicking himself for preparing blackmail in advance

"Of course." Match said "I've been cooped up here for so long its gotten boring. So tell me, what's this job you have for me?"

Lex smiled "One I think you'll enjoy."

* * *

?, Unknown location

September 12th, 2012, 7:00

Lela yawned as she stretched, waking up after a peaceful night's rest. She felt the bed next to her and noticed an absence. She looked around and saw Match staring out the window into the sunlight. She smiled, walking over to him and draping her arms over his shoulders and across his chest "You're up early." She said

"Or you're up late?" He offered, smiling smugly

"You're in a good mood. That's unusual." She said

"Mr. Luthor came by, he had a job for me." he told her

"Does it concern... him?" Lela asked

Match smiled maliciously and nodded

Lela returned his smile "You gonna kill him?"

Match's smiled turned demonic, perhaps into a smile only the Joker could've rivaled in malice "Of course."

Lela chuckled "That's my Match." she said giving him a peck on the cheek "Just don't get hurt."

Match screamed "Are you ready little brother! Big bro's going to kill you!" Then he started cackling, a dark malicious sound that came straight from the pits of hell itself, its malice and evil tangible in the air around the psychopathic kryptonian, powerful enough to make even a green lantern quake in fear. This laugh, was among one of the things that earned Match one of his many titles... The Demon of Steel.

* * *

Metropolis City, Outside the Kent residence

September 12th, 2012, 15:00

"So your cousin just pops in out of the blue and you have to let her live with you?" Kyle asked Conner as they exited the elevator

"I didn't say it made sense." Conner said as he fished into his pocket for the keys to the apartment

"But I mean she just shows up and your Dad's like 'she's going to be staying with us' and you just roll with it?" The art student asked in shock

"That about sums it up." The Boy of Steel said, smiling in triumph as he found the key

Kyle rolled his eyes "Well anyways, thanks for inviting me over."

"It's no problem, besides I owe you after I canceled on you Saturday and Sunday." Conner said inserting the key into the lock

"Just remember that we have homework too, as much as I want to totally kick your butt at COD, we have that AP Bio project we have to get started on." Kyle reminded Conner as he opened the door

"Thanks a lot Kyle, I was trying to forget." Conner joked as the duo walked into the apartment.

"Is that you Conner?" Kara's voice asked

"Yeah, its me Kara." Conner told her

Kara walked out of the bathroom and Conner could have sworn he saw a tint of red appear on Kyle's face. Kara had purchased a brown wig at the shopping mall on Sunday and was wearing it, she was also wearing a blue shirt with a flower on it, a pair of blue jeans, and a red jacket.

"Hi Conner, who's your friend?" Kara asked

Conner could hear Kyle's heartbeat speed up "Um... Hi my Kyle is name." He facepalmed "I mean Kyle my name is hi." he facepalmed again "I mean...hi." he said

Kara giggled "Hello Kyle, my name is Kara." She said

Kyle nervously scratched the back of his head, his face as red as Clark's cape "N-n-nice to meet you."

"Well anyway, I promised Clark I'd go stop by the planet today. Later Conner." Kara said, grabbing her bag and heading out

As soon as Kara had left Kyle planted his face into his hand "I acted like a complete idiot."

"And that is different from your normal behavior because?" Conner asked grabbing an Xbox controller and tossing it to Kyle

The controller hit Kyle and landed on the floor "Did you see her? She was amazing!" the artist asked

"Dude, she's my cousin." Conner said picking up the remote and handing it to Kyle "I don't give three cents."

"Say hello to Conner Kent, with his infamous Skull-of-steel" Kyle said tapping Conner's forehead

Conner laughed turning on the Television "Just get ready to play."

Kyle reluctantly consented and grabbed his controller and the two proceeded to play video games in the dark for seven hours straight.

* * *

Metropolis City

September 12th, 2012, 22:30

Conner scanned the city with his eyes, searching for even the slightest hint of trouble. He sighed not finding anything, and proceeded to hop over to the next building. His father had told him he needed to begin Kara's paperwork for a transfer to Metropolis High, which meant he'd be on patrol tonight. He didn't mind so much, except for perhaps having to quit his game with Kyle. But he figured it could be worse, he could've had a team mission. So, counting his blessings, he put on his Superboy shirt and leapt into action.

He paused after landing on a building roof, he could hear something... he wasn't quite sure what he was hearing. He closed his eyes and concentrated, filtering out the sounds of cars, heartbeats, and machinery that filled the air of nocturnal Metropolis, filtering out each one until he found the sound he was looking for, it was a fluttering sound, like a cape, flowing in the wind... and getting louder. He located the sound as being east of his position and turned, towards the direction it was coming from. His eyes widened as a streak of black flew towards him, stopping only a few feet in front of him and floating onto the ground before him. The strange being was wearing a black suit, with a cape flowing in the wind, his face was covered by a featureless helmet, with only two slits for the man's bright blue eyes to see out of, on each hand he bore a gauntlet, and smack in the middle of his chest, was the S-shield.

Conner narrowed his eyes "Who are you?" he asked

At first, the being gave no reply, then he broke out into laughter. Conner froze, that laugh, he had only heard a laugh filled with such insanity one other time. It was not the laugh of a sane man, it was erratic and insane, but this man... he couldn't be.

"Who are you?" Conner asked, clenching his fists

Still laughing, the man removed his helmet, causing Conner's eyes to go wide with shock "No, it can't be, not you."

The man continued to laugh "What's the matter?" He asked, still laughing "Don't you recognize your own brother?"

Conner felt like he was looking at a ghost, the man standing before him had a face **exactly **like his. Who else would be insane enough to wear the S-shield and mock his father's name.

"Match, is that... that really you?" Conner asked

"Of course it is." Match said, finishing his laugh only after the word "is" left his mouth "Who else would it be?"

"You can talk." Conner said "You couldn't talk before."

Match chuckled "I suppose that is a bit shocking." he agreed "But I can talk now."

"How, you're DNA, it was degrading, your eyes were black. How? Wouldn't you end up like-" Conner started

"Bizarro?" He asked laughing again "I'm much more valuable to my employer in a stable state. In other words 'me do better if me am not stupid.'" he said letting out another blood chilling laugh

"Your employer?" Conner asked

"Yes, he has a job for me to do." Match told him

"And, what job would that be?" Conner asked, a little afraid

Match stopped laughing and eyes began to glow red "Kill you." he said

Before Conner could say anything Match let loose a blast of heat vision, striking him dead in the chest. Conner screamed in pain as he felt his brother blast him with the heat. His knees buckled and hit the ground as the blasts began to penetrate a layer of his skin.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He screamed as his nerves were burned and his skin blackened

"_He's stronger than Kara!" _Conner realized as the heat beams paralyzed him with pain

Match started laughing again, just like Conner had heard in his nightmare, except instead of frigid cold, he felt searing heat scorching through his skin, and Conner knew that Match would bore straight through him until the beams pierced his heart.

"Why...brother?" Conner choked out

Match just laughed again "Because I wanted to." he said "But the real question is, why not?"

Conner screamed again as he felt his brother pierce another layer of skin faster than he could heal it, causing his brother to laugh louder "This is so much fun, let's see how long you last!"

Conner screams only seemed to give Match pleasure beyond belief "You know, I've been waiting for this moment along time."

Conner's mind was spinning, maybe he could get some information out of him. After all, he was on the verge of death "What do you-GAH-mean?" Conner asked

"You see, after you and you're friends beat up the Justice League, I was extracted from Cadmus." Match explained "After that I was isolated, given extreme security measures, and I was even trained to fear green rocks from Kryptonite exposure so I wouldn't hurt my employers in my feral state. Then my employer began to give me genetic therapy, my genes stabilized, and my physical health was in perfect condition. But that wasn't enough, my mind was still feral, still insane."

"_Not much has changed"_ Conner thought

"I needed something you had but I didn't, something important." Match said

"Which was?" I asked

"Love." Match said, his heat beams weakening for a moment "They gave me a friend. Or rather, they made me a friend."

"They...made you a friend?" Conner asked as he felt the heat vision weaken

"Yes...she's the only one that actually understands me..." Match said

It was now or never, Conner could feel the beams weaken, if he wanted to live he had to make his move now. He charged forward and grabbed Match's face over his eyes, twisted his neck, and threw him off the building. He knew that wouldn't stop him for long, but it would hold him long enough for Conner to access the fortress controls and ditch him.

"Access Master Control" Conner said into the computer systems, turning around and jumping to a nearby building in an attempt to gain distance "Code Red, emergency beam-out to location 0-0-"

But before he could finish, Match intercepted him in mid-air and held him by his neck, crushing his windpipe. He cackled "Surprised?" he asked, his eyes glowing red

"How? Even Dad...wouldn't-" he started

"Did you forget? I was made so Superman could 'meet his Match' I've got a faster healing time than he does." Match said "Now where was I?" Match loosened his grip "Oh that's right. So yes, I received one, true friend. She told me the story I was never told. The story of how my purpose for living, was stolen by you."

Match tightened the grip he had on Conner's neck "You are to replace the Man of Steel should he fall... But when I kill you... I'll replace him... right after I kill him too!" with that Match let out another bone-chilling laugh

Conner surrendered to it, he could not win. Maybe his father could, but he couldn't. He couldn't access the teleporter array because it would risk taking Match with him, not to mention he couldn't finish the activation sequence because he was being strangled.

"Goodbye... little bro" Match said while laughing

Conner closed his eyes, and braced for the end. But then he heard something, his brother screaming. He opened his eyes and saw his brother's face contracting with pain. He looked behind Match and saw the most glorious sight he could ever hope to see.

"Kara!" Conner yelled, joy written all over his face

"Hang on Conner!" his cousin yelled

Unable to hold onto Conner, the Demon dropped his brother as Kara blasted him with heat vision. Taking advantage of Match's distraction, Kara used her super speed and flight to catch her cousin.

"Are you alright?" Kara asked

"No..." Conner admitted placing a hand on his chest "His heat vision is stronger than yours."

"I'll keep that in mind." She said

Conner looked at his cousin and smiled, she was wearing a slightly altered version of his father's super hero attire, a blue top, the s-shield emblazoned on her chest in the original colors his father wore (red and gold), a red skirt, and a cape.

"Supergirl huh?" Conner asked chuckling

Kara shrugged "I thought it was a good idea, and its good that I did. Or you'd be six feet under" she said

Match turned around, having recovered from his moment of weakness, to face the two Kryptonian teenagers "Well, well, well. If it isn't another one of the Superfamily." Match said, an insane look on his face "Guess I'll just have to kill you too!" he screeched, letting out another laugh.

Kara placed Conner on a nearby rooftop "Stay here, I can handle him" she told him

Conner knew that was a lie "No you can't" he told her

She ignored him and flew up so that she was at the same altitude as her demonic cousin.

"Its almost a shame to kill you, after all we're the last of the Kryptonians." Match said laughing again "But oh well, not like you can do anything about it."

Kara's eyes narrowed "Watch me" she challenged

Match smiled "This is gonna be fun!" and lifted his hands into the air

Kara narrowed her eyes and they started to glow red "No one hurts my family and gets away with it, not even you." She told Match

"Bring it on little girl!" he said, his hands starting to glow white

Kara scowled and fired a blast of heat vision at the Demon.

He laughed "I've been wanting to try this out!" he shouted

He brought his hands down in front of him and fired a ray of white light at Kara. Kara dodged the white energy blast, flying beneath it, and fired a blast of heat vision directly at the s-shield on Match's chest. Match screamed out in pain causing Kara to give a confident smile, however her smile quickly faded as Match placed a hand over her line of sight, blocking her heat vision. He raises his free hand and charges another white ray "You're good." He says firing the ray at her "But I'm better."

Kara screams out in pain as her body is engulfed by the light, she stops trying to fly and is merely held there by the strange power Match wields. He starts laughing again, raising his other hand, charging another blast, and firing it at Kara, causing her to scream louder.

"YES! YES!" Match screams "And so falls the last daughter Krypton!"

Conner looked up in fear "No" Conner whispered

"I feel my strength... leaving me." Kara moaned

Match smiled "So THAT'S what this does." He affirmed, cackling again

But before Match could finish the job, he was interrupted by a punch in the head releasing Kara from his grip and sending him flying several feet forwards. Conner's eyes filled with joy once again "DAD!" he yelled. His father looked towards him and smiled, happy to see his son unharmed... mostly. He turned his attention back towards Match.

"So, you're the infamous Match Batman's told me about. Hard to believe what he said was true. I'll admit I'm impressed," Superman said glaring at Match, his eyes glowing red

Match angrily turned around, his eyes also glowing red "I'm so FLATTERED!" Match yelled firing a blast of heat vision at Superman

Superman shook his head "I'll admit it, you're good" he said firing a blast of heat vision that met Match's head on "But you're not the one who's going to make me "meet my match"." He said

Match cackled "I'm better than you are!" he declared

Superman simply said "No Match, I am. You're just another madman." and his heat vision suddenly shot through Match's, striking him dead in the eyes.

"AIEEEEE!" Match screamed in agony "MY EYES!"

Before Superman could move to restrain him, a boom tube opened up behind the Demon and removed him from the area. Although confused, Clark and Kara shrugged off the Demon's absence to check on Conner. Kara flew up to the rooftop where Conner had been standing and she placed a hand on his chest, causing him to wince and let out an 'ow'.

"This is serious." Clark said "Better get you to the medical bay."

Not wishing to argue Conner simply nodded. But when he moved to take a step forward, his world began to spin "What's going on?" he asked, collapsing into his cousin's arms

"Will he be... ok?" Kara asked, worry written all over her face as she shifted him into a more comfortable position for her to carry

Clark looked at his son and sighed "I don't know Kara, I don't know."

* * *

?, Unknown location

September 13th, 2012, 0:00

"MY EYES!" Match yelled as the boom tube dropped him off at headquarters

After about a minute of yelling Match's eyes healed, and the pain faded away. He blinked a few times, glancing around the room. His eyes finally came to face the members of the light. He looked down, ashamed of his performance.

"I've failed you." He told them "You've wasted time, and money on me and I failed you."

"Non-sense my boy." Ra's Al Ghul said smiling "If anything you've exceeded expectations."

Match looked up in shock "I have?" He asked

"Oh indeed my young friend." Vandal Savage said "Not only did you almost manage to kill Superboy, but if you hadn't been weakened by Supergirl's heat blast, you may have been able to fight her off."

"How can you be so sure?" Match asked

"We've been funding you're recovery my dear boy." Lex said "This was merely a field test."

"And you passed" Ra's Al Ghul said smiling "The results were most favorable."

The door opened and Lela could be seen standing in the doorway "I do believe we are keeping our friend occupied." Queen Bee noted

"Indeed we are." Vandal Savage noted

"Just relax for now Match. I'll be sending some Doctor's over tomorrow morning to preform some tests and make modifications to your life support systems." Lex said

Match nodded "I'm surprised it's still intact" Match noted "It took a direct blast from Supergirl's heat vision."

"It would take quite a bit to dent that thing" Vandal Savage informed him

With that, all members of the light faded from their view screens, and Match turned to face Lela, smiling. The black haired girl ran over to him and wrapped her arms around him, tears streaming off of her face.

"I thought I told you not to get hurt?" She asked him

Match suddenly felt bad "I'm sorry Lela, they were stronger than I thought they would be."

Lela sighed and looked up at him, she reached a hand up and caressed his face "I guess I can't blame you." she reached up and pulled him into a gentle kiss "Come on, let's go to bed."

Match simply nodded and followed suit, not wanting to argue.

* * *

Metropolis city, Lex Corp building, Lex Luthor's office

September 13th, 2012, 0:10

Lex Luthor smiled as his view screen of Match faded "What did I tell you? Obedient to a fault." he said

"I'll admit it Lex, I didn't think you'd be able to do it." Klarion said "But hey, that's life for you, never expect anything."

"I'm quite relieved we didn't need to go to the measure's of Queen Bee using her mind control on him." Ra's Al Ghul said

"What's wrong with my method's of control?" Queen Bee asked

"Nothing under normal circumstances... except maybe for-" Ra's started

"The way you talk to your victims is completely inappropriate for us to even consider allowing you to preform your control on this boy." Vandal Savage stated bluntly

"Yeah." Klarion agreed

Queen Bee just glared "And the way he's doing it is any different? I bet the girl emits a Psychic signal that corresponds with a psychic transceiver in the boy's brain, or she has mind control herself! That's why he took so long with the genetic alterations!"

"Nothing so crude." Lex said putting his feet up "That girl was genetically altered for beauty alone.."

"Then how is her influence over the boy so... perfect?" Queen bee asked, intrigued

"Simple, its because he truly believes she is the only one that will accept him, fully and unconditionally, no matter what he does, or how insane he behaves. So he trusts her, listens to her, and obeys her. He's too enamored of her to do anything else." Lex said " And she obey's us, just like we programmed her to, and we've arranged it so that they've spent virtually every moment together since his genetic therapy ended, they even sleep together. We have almost total control over the boy through her."

"You don't keep camera's in that room right?" Klarion asked

Everyone glared at him "What? I'm just saying it would be inappropriate, Lord Of **Chaos** not Lord of **Perversion**."

Ra's Al Ghul said "He raises a fair point."

Lex laughed "We don't need camera's. There's no need. Besides, Lela is programmed against that kind of relationship. She believes true intimacy is spiritual."

"Well then. I'm sure we can count on both of their help in the future." Vandal said, raising a glass of wine "To the light."

"To the light." The other members echoed

* * *

Watch Tower, Medical Bay

September 13th, 2012, 2:00

Conner woke up gasping for air and noticed two things, a respirator attached to his mouth and bandages wrapped around his chest. He looked to his left and saw Kara and his father standing next to him and talking to Martian Manhunter.

"Hey Guys, what's going on?" Conner asked

"Conner!" Kara yelled flying over to him "How are you feeling?"

"Like there's a giant gaping hole in chest." Conner stated bluntly

"We'll talk later J'onn." Superman said

Martian Manhunter nodded and flew away.

"What was J'onn doing here?" Conner asked

"He brought me." a familiar voice said

Conner turned his head to the right and smiled "Hello M'gann"

The martian smiled "How're you?"

Conner tried to sit up but felt pain shoot through his body "Pretty bad."

M'gann's face saddened "I know..."

Kara sensed M'gann's discomfort "Hey, he's a Kryptonian, he'll be back on his feet in no time, just give him some yellow sun energy and he'll be better in no time." she said smiling

"No, he won't be." Batman said walking in

"What do you mean?" M'gann asked, fearfully

"He's only half Kryptonian M'gann, he's going to be off duty for a while, at least until he recovers from those injuries." Batman said

"Will he be able to leave the station?" Kara asked, worried about her cousin

"Conner will be able to attend school tomorrow." Batman said "But only if you let him sleep now."

M'gann and Kara nodded, the two of them flew over to the Zeta tubes "Recognize: Supergirl B09 Recognize: Miss Martian B05" The computer said

The Teen of Steel smiled "You registered her?" He asked, looking at his father

Clark nodded "She's scheduled to join the Team tomorrow." He told Conner "Seeing as how you've been taken out of commission for awhile, perhaps it was a good thing too."

Conner nodded then he stared out the window, his gaze falling upon Earth "Batman lied didn't he." Conner asked

"Yes, he did." Superman said "You're going to be here for several days Conner, we don't know exactly how long, or how bad the damage is. And you may be in a wheel chair for a couple of days."

Conner looked up at him, confused "But I thought-" Conner started

Clark put a hand on his shoulder "I'm sorry, but since you're only half Kryptonian you're body may be as invulnerable as mine, but it heals much, much slower, and from a wound like this... we just don't know."

Conner nodded his eyes fluttering "Hey Dad... I'm kinda tired."

Clark smiled "Its ok Conner, sleep, you deserve it."

With that, the Boy of tomorrow closed his eyes and drifted off into peaceful sleep. His father clenched a fist, if he ever got his hands on Match... he would kill him. Ok, maybe he was being a little melodramatic, but he wanted closure, this was his family we were talking about, he wasn't just going to stand back and let another deranged psychopath threaten the people that mean the most to him.

Batman walked up to the Man of Steel and placed a hand on his shoulder "Its going to be alright Clark." Batman told him "He's hurt, not dead."

"... is this what it feels like when one of your kids are put in a cast?" Clark asked the Dark Knight

"...yes." Batman admitted "Most often with the Joker. So I know what it's like to have a deranged psychopath after your family."

Superman chuckled "I guess so." He said standing up "I'm going back to Metropolis to finish Kara's transfer papers. Ask Hal to cover for Monitor duty tonight."

"Hal's been recalled to Oa." Batman said "I'll take over for you"

Superman smiled "Thanks Bruce." He said heading for the Zeta tubes, but then he stopped mid-flight "What's Hal doing on Oa?"

* * *

Oa, Chamber of the Guardians

September 13th, 2012, 3:00

"Welcome, Hal Jordan, Green Lantern of Sector 2814." The Guardians said, almost in unison, as Hal Jordan entered the chamber

"Good to be here, now if only someone could tell me why I was here." Hal asked

"Its time we told you the truth." A guardian said

"The truth? What do you mean?" Hal asked

"Years ago, when you were chosen to be Abin Sur's replacement. There were two other individuals on Earth that could've been chosen as Lanterns in your place." The guardians told him

"Yeah, John Stewart and Guy Gardner." Hal said

"That is correct." The Guardians confirmed

"Well then I don't see what the big deal is?" Hal said, shrugging "They both already have Lantern rings."

"What we did not tell you is that there was a fourth member of your race, who could become a Lantern." They said

"What?" Hal asked in shock

"He had not reached the state of maturity that the ring requires in order to choose a lantern. He has since reached that state, and is ready to don a ring." The Guardians told him

"Well then we gotta get this guy a ring and bring him to Oa." Hal suggested, waving his arms in the air

"We had initially planned to, however, a Lantern recently died in sector 2814, and his ring is already headed to Earth, for the one chosen to become a Green Lantern." The Guardian's explained "You need to head back to Earth before the ring reaches him, we don't know how much time you have before he finds him."

"He?" Hal asked "You mean-"

"Indeed, Sinestro will no doubt target this young lantern... and not hesitate to either eliminate him, or recruit him into the Sinestro Corp." The lantern's said fearful

"Alright" Hal said levitating a few feet into the air "What's this boy's name?"

"Kyle Rayner." They said "And if we are correct, he may turnout to be the most powerful Green Lantern we have ever seen."


End file.
